[CrackerBarrel]

Oh I agree, going is partly a ploy to get press. And it's a smart one, it will work I think.

But it's partly McCain's personality too. I've read on a couple of blogs (I'll save you the trouble of not clicking on them, it was The National Review and The Weekly Standard) that everyone close to McCain says its the way he has always worked, he feels like he gets a better handle on a situation by being physically involved with it. He feels like he understands it better by being there or something.

And I think it will play well with voters because it comes across as "Instead of phoning in my opinion and hoping someone listens, I'm going to go in there and get my hands dirty for it." And that's the "presidential" imagery that the McCain camp has been trying to play up.

So it may not be helpful at all, but at least now everyone that wanted to will know where McCain stands, he feels like he's done something about it, and maybe hopefully it will pick up some votes too.